Diana Merriman is a physical therapist who lives with her fiancé, Linus, in the small town of Snow Haven, North Carolina. While she loves her job and helping her patients, she often remains closed off and tries to be as professional as possible. Additionally, she’s been preparing for an interview with her boss about a promotion – and also using it as a crutch for not setting a wedding date yet. So when the big day comes, she sets off to her morning appointments and anticipates a great meeting in the afternoon. But later that evening, Linus is hit by a delivery truck while riding his bicycle home from work. By Christmas Eve, three weeks after the accident, Linus is still in a coma, and Diana still hopes that he will come back. The next thing she knows, she has a chance when her neighbor enchants a snow globe that Diana found. Evidently, she finds herself in a time loop. Diana is forced to live the same day over and over – the day of Linus’s accident – not certain if she can change the outcome. Through the Snow Globe by Annie Rains follows Diana through her seemingly never-ending Christmas nightmare in which she tries everything she can to change fate, but discovers more about herself and what has been holding her back from everything she could possibly want. 

Not only is December 4 the day that Linus ends up in the hospital, but it is also the day of her interview for the promotion she’s been so stressed over. While some people might appreciate having multiple attempts at getting their “big break,” Diana isn’t as smooth with her second, third, fourth, etc. chances. Plus, it’s her best friend Rochelle’s birthday, and each time she relives their annual meetup, she gets more than she bargained for. Diana rejects any “tough love” that Rochelle gives – such as calling her out for being scared to commit to Linus and setting a date for the wedding. As readers get to know Diana’s upbringing in Through the Snow Globe, her attitude towards commitment is understandable. But now that she’s reliving the same day over and over, she’s wondering if she wasted the time that she had with the love of her life – and that it might be too late to make up for it. 

Rains adds a charming and cute, “Christmassy” spin to the time loop trope. All characters – her patients, coworkers, and of course fiancé and best friend – were distinguishable, realistic, and crucial to Diana’s growth. Not only does she realize how her “lack of friendliness” is perceived by others, but she also discovers what she really wants out of her career and her future. I absolutely loved Diana’s journey, and I know other readers will too. And when it seems as if all hope is lost, Rains pulls the pieces back into place for a satisfying ending. 

Annie Rains joins us for a Cantina Conversation to talk about the time loop trope and how she came up with Diana’s story. Keep an ear out for a future episode of The Nerd Cantina Show podcast and preorder Through the Snow Globe, available August 22.